Epcot's an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow and was originally intended not to have any rides at all, but instead to be an actual community, housing the WDW employees and their families. The design mandated that net traffic flow would be underground - in tunnels with access garages - and commuting would be done in one of two ways: the first was a multi-loop mass-transit system which would run continuously between the suburbs and the centre. You can still ride the original idea in
Tomorrowland (Magic Kingdom) where it's called the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. The second was the monorail, and that still offers a direct route into the park.
However, finance wouldn't permit the original aspiration of Walt's to be realised, and after Walt died Roy Disney steered through a revised Epcot plan, which was designed to be 'educational', and that's why the rides are slower - since they're all supposed to be classrooms of a kind.
To balance the books Epcot also became more of a Tourist destination for older people, with the second best fireworks, music and laser display in the World (the best is Fantasmic in MGM {now Walt Disney} Studios) and the dated rides are in a very slow process of being replaced and upgraded. The North loop of the figure 8 plan on which Epcot is based was always intended to be a reflection of the 1964 New York World's Fair's UNICEF pavilion where WED enterprises operated the first-ever Walt Disney ride. That was called "It's a Small World". The pavilions vary in what they offer; Norway is rather good, with a fair ride, Germany is very stereotyped and the American pavilion takes the Oscar for mind-numbingly tedious. However, they do have an outstanding close-harmony group who perform while you're waiting for the previous show to empty out. Go and listen to then, pretending to queue up, and then leave.
The UK pavilion does suggest some very out-of-date ideas about the UK and is based around a mythical London pub. It does offer an outstanding cafe, with seats perfectly positioned to watch the fireworks, but the fish and chips they purport to serve are outstandingly bad and nothing like British fish 'n chips at all.
For a good day there, arrive at opening time at the main gate and do the lower half then leave. Return at 1900 by the East Gate, which takes you directly to the upper loop and the fireworks.
